


Fragments

by SomaC



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Bad Ending, Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:28:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23259181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomaC/pseuds/SomaC
Summary: He held the pieces together, hoping they would fuse. Jasper couldn’t be gone. Soon she would be back. He just had to wait.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 124





	1. Chapter 1

He didn’t want to believe it at first. Jasper was one of the strongest gems he knew. She was always training, always ready for a fight. She had been his mentor at a time where his life was spiraling out of control. She had made him confident in his abilities, encouraged him to embrace his strength instead of running from it.

_ “Come on, come on! Show me what you can really do!” _

He hesitated during their rematch, afraid of hurting her. She immediately noticed and goaded him into using his full strength. It had been going so well, but he allowed himself to lose control. The power was intoxicating and for the first time in months he finally felt good about himself.

_ “You're right, Jasper. I have been holding back.” _

Maybe if he hadn’t been so focused on winning he would have restrained himself, but in that moment the only thing that mattered was beating Jasper. He remembered feeling clever when he trapped her in his shields. She certainly had not been expecting that. The spikes were to ensure his victory. He didn’t hold back, putting all of his pent up rage and frustration into that final attack.

He had been laughing when he floated down, ready to taunt her and bask in his own victory. Even when he failed to locate her body he was unconcerned. It was Jasper; she probably just retreated into her gem. 

It wasn’t until he saw her misshapen gemstone that he realized something was wrong. Panic pierced his heart when he knelt down and picked up a shard that was lodged in the earth. It was far too small and jagged to be her gem, but he recognized the orange color and knew that it had to be her. 

For a while he was frozen in place, staring at the shard in confusion. His brain refused to process what had happened. He probably would have stayed there all night were it not for the rain drizzling on him. The cold water shocked him into action. He tore up the earth in search of the rest of her. His fingernails were caked in mud by the time he found the last shard.

He cradled the shards in the palm of his hand, making sure that he got every last one before taking off. He was numb as his legs carried him, his surroundings blurred around him. He wasn’t sure how or when he arrived home, but he didn’t stop to question it.

He burst through the front door, gasping for breath. He ignored the worried cries of his family and dashed to the bathroom. The door shut behind him. He turned on the faucet in the bathtub. He ripped open the medicine cabinet and dumped the Diamond vials into the water.

His heart pounded against his chest with such strength that he was sure his family could hear it. His hands shook as he lowered them into the colorful swirls of water. His tears dripped into the bathtub.

“Please, please let this work!”

He held the pieces together, hoping they would fuse. Jasper couldn’t be gone. Soon she would be back. He just had to wait.

“Please…”

He removed his hand from the water. Even without looking at it he knew it hadn’t worked. The shards in his hands burned against his cold skin. Guilt prevented him from dropping them. He was gasping for breath as he stumbled away from the bathtub. Jasper was dead. He killed her.

The pounding on the door only increased as the minutes ticked by. He couldn’t let the gems see this, couldn’t let them find out he was a… shatterer.

The door burst open. He clutched the shards close to his chest. 

“Steven, what is going on with you?”

“We looked everywhere for you!” 

His breaths turned frantic as he struggled to get enough oxygen into his lungs. Pearl’s worried hands brushed against his forehead. He flinched under her tender touch. He didn’t deserve any kindness, not after what he just did.

Worried questions were being lobbed at him, but he didn’t understand any of it. He could only focus on the shards of his mentor still hidden in his hand. Gentle fingers brushed against his damp cheeks.

“Steven, we want to help you, but you need to tell us what’s wrong.” Garnet said, eyes pleading.

She had taken off her visor at some point. They were all staring at him with identical looks of concern. He couldn’t bear all the attention and shut his eyes, blocking out their desperate voices. Someone was tugging at his arm, trying to remove it from its place on his chest. He resisted, but he was too tired to put up a fight.

“C’mon Steven let go! Why won’t you let us help you?”

They pried open his hand. Sharp gasps and fearful murmurs filled the bathroom.

“Is that… Jasper?” Amethyst's pained voice was like a punch to the gut. 

Jasper was Amethyst’s sister; a Famethyst and he had killed her. 

“Steven, what happened? Who did this?”

“Steven please talk to us!”

He was relieved when someone took the shards away from him. He wanted to run away, but found that his legs refused to listen. His family wanted answers that he dreaded giving.

His voice was barely above a whisper, “... It was me.”

The gems went silent the instant they heard him. 

“What do you mean?” Pearl asked, when he didn’t continue.

He didn’t answer.

“Steven, what do you mean?” she repeated, voice urgent.

“I… Jasper… I didn’t mean to.”

Realization then shock flashed across their faces. If the gems were disgusted by him they didn’t show it. He crumpled onto the floor, exhausted.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” 

He was sobbing now, his shoulders shaking as someone engulfed him in a hug. He tried pulling away, but the other person’s grip on him only tightened. They were whispering reassurances to him.

His voice was hoarse as he cried out in anguish. He struggled against the embrace. He didn’t deserve to be comforted; He was a monster.

“It’s going to be ok.”

His heaving sobs echoed throughout the dark room. He knew it would never be ok.


	2. Haunted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anyone a fan of the old Teen Titans cartoon? Well, I was watching it the other day and this idea wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it down. Might continue this, might not idk

"Pathetic."

Steven stirred, further burrowing himself into the warmth of the comforter. It was cold—far too cold to get out of bed, not that he had the energy for it even if he wanted to. No, after what he did the only thing he deserved to do was rot. The gems didn't understand—at least, not yet. They hugged and comforted him, letting him cry all over them while Jasper lay in pieces in the bathtub.

How would they react when they discovered her shattering was no accident? Would they hate him? Worse, fear him? He squeezed his eyes shut, willing himself back to sleep. He wasn't ready to face them, would probably never be.

"Get up!"

Steven shot up, eyes wide. No, no, it wasn't possible! It couldn't have been her. She had been shattered. He dug the shards of her gem out of the mud himself. And yet, there Jasper was, looming over him like their fight in the woods had never happened.

"J... Jasper..."

He scrambled backwards, but Jasper must have been expecting it, because as quick as lightning she yanked him back by the collar of his shirt. Face to face, the molten fury in her eyes was unmistakable. It was the look of someone out for revenge.

He was shaking, his heart threatening to punch a hole through his chest. "Jasper, I'm  _ so _ sor—" 

The apology was cut short as Jasper's hands snaked around his throat. His eyes burned, the edges of his vision darkening as she continued to squeeze.

_ "You," _ Jasper spat. "You shattered me!"

"Jas... per..." Steven clawed at the hands suspending him in the air, desperately fighting for the air his lungs needed. He didn't even know what he was so pathetically trying to choke out. An apology, maybe? One last plea for his life? 

In the end, it didn't matter, because Jasper hurled him against the wall. There was a loud crack as his back collided with the shelf above his bed, cherished knick knacks crashing against the unforgiving wooden floor.

Steven greedily gulped up lungfuls of air. He ignored the sharp pain in his head and focused on getting up. He needed to defend himself and, hopefully, calm Jasper enough to where she was willing to talk to him. He pushed himself off the ground, the room spinning as he found his balance. Now, all he needed to do was find Jas—

The door to his room flew open.

"Steven!" Pearl, Amethyst, and Garnet stood in the doorway, their weapons already in hand as they searched for the threat. Except, as far as Steven could tell, he was alone. Jasper had vanished.

His neck was still aching and sore, no doubt he would wake up with a bruise the next morning, but in the moment the only thing he cared about was finding Jasper. Had she heard the gems approaching and decided to run? Had she gone into hiding? Retreated into the woods, maybe? 

"... Jasper." His voice was hoarse and weak, but they needed to find Jasper. In her angered state, there was no telling what she was capable of, and if anyone got hurt it would be his fault. He hobbled over to the door and attempted to push past the gems. "She's... getting... a—"

Amethyst placed a hand on his chest and gently tried to usher him back inside. "Woah, dude, slow down," she said, her gaze flicking over to the dent in the wall where Jasper had thrown him. "You wanna tell us what's going on?"

He winced when Pearl inspected his throat, her cold fingers tracing his already darkening bruise. 

"What happened?" Pearl asked, carefully inspecting his body for other injuries.

"Jasper," he told them, pushing past the pain in his throat to speak. "She... attacked me..."

Amethyst frowned. "Jasper? but she's... Steven, are you sure you saw her?"

"Maybe it was another Quartz?" Pearl suggested. "Or a corrupted gem?"

Steven shook his head. He knew what he saw. It was Jasper, there was no doubt about it, and she was furious. They were wasting precious time. Who knew where Jasper could be by now? He attempted to push past Amethyst. "We need... to find... Jasper," he told her. "She's... getting away."

Amethyst's face contorted into an expression he couldn't describe.

Gently, as if dealing with glass, Garnet pulled him away from Amethyst and led him over to his bed. He did his best to protest, but in his weakened state Garnet easily overpowered him and forced him to take a seat. He squirmed, restless at the thought of Jasper running amok with no one there to stop her.

"Jasper," he tried again, pointing at the sliding door that led outside. That must have been how she got away without the gems noticing her, but where was she now? The woods? Little Homeworld?

"Steven." Garnet placed a firm but not unkind hand on his shoulder. She dissipated her visor, her three eyes staring straight at him, almost begging him to listen to her words, "Jasper is gone."

"No," he insisted. "She was here... she's getting away..."

"Steven," Garnet repeated, her voice gentle. "There is no one here but us. Jasper is... bubbled away for now."

He blinked, her words not quite registering. No, Jasper couldn't have been in a bubble. She was just here! He had seen her, fought against her. Garnet must have been confused, or maybe they really did bubble her and Jasper had found some way to escape? He'd found his way out of a bubble before, so it wasn't impossible.

He stood, ready to start his search without the help of the gems, but Garnet stepped in his way.

"Jasper couldn't have attacked you," Garnet began, choosing her words carefully. "She is still... injured."

He froze, immediately picking up on what she left unsaid.  _ Jasper was still shattered. _

No, no, that wasn't possible. Jasper wasn't... he didn't... but going by how Garnet was looking at him, with pity, he knew she couldn't have meant anything else. 

Jasper was really gone.


End file.
